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Other applications due to be decided at tonight’s meeting of the council’s planning committee include demolishing two buildings at the White House in High Street, Cheshunt and replacing them with three buildings providing 63 one- and two-bed homes.

An application to demolish industrial and commercial units in Hoddesdon’s Brewery Road and replace them with 22 homes and retail or business premises is also to be determined.

Key Events

Councillors vote

The committee have given the go-ahead for a sum in the region of £80k to be sought, or enforcement action will be taken

20:52Martin Ford

Tudor Hall?

In case you were wondering, this is the building that replaced Hoddesdon Snooker Club in Conduit Lane

20:50Martin Ford

Councillors speak in favour of demands

Cllr Linda Russell said: “To ensure the integrity of the process, we need to do something here,” while Cllr Neil Harvey added: “Doing nothing is not an option. We’ve been taken for a ride by this developer.”

20:47Martin Ford

Deadline

The council would give a deadline of January 31 for the money before taking enforcement, if councillors give permission

20:44Martin Ford

£253k price tag

Cllr Mike Iszatt says the flats are being advertised for £253,000. “These are quire affordable for people not going down the route of the council’s housing register,” he said.

20:42Martin Ford

Planning permission

Permission has been granted for 14 flats on the site, but has not yet been granted for three flats already built on the top floor

20:40Martin Ford

Long-term negotiations

The talks date back to 2014, when the development was completed

20:39Martin Ford

Enforcement action

This could range from demanding the top floor of the building be immediately vacated, to ordering the floor be demolished

20:36Martin Ford

Wrangling

The council and developer have been in discussions over the building, which is big enough to trigger a requirement for some of the homes to be affordable, but they disagree over whether a sum of £80,000 towards affordable housing in the borough would make the development non-viable

20:31Martin Ford

One more item...

Officers want to demand £80,000 from the developer of Tudor Hall in Hoddesdon to provide affordable housing in the borough or take enforcement action

20:29KEY EVENT

Brewery Road plans approved!

Parking problems?

Cllr Keith Brown holds concerns. “I’m very concerned about the parking situation. There will be a number of employees who want transport and need to park. The number of spaces is totally insufficient.”

20:21Martin Ford

Warm welcome

Cllr Mike Iszatt said: “I think it would do great good to have shops and restaurants in that area.” Cllr Neil Harvey agreed, adding: “It does tidy up the area and enhance Hoddesdon town centre.”

20:14Martin Ford

"Terrified to death"

Neighbouring resident Nick Hearn said: “We are going to get no sun - it will be darker all the time, even in the summer. If I look out any of my windows I will see a block of flats to the left, a block of flats to the front and a block of flats to the right. It’s going to be horrendous. I’m terrified to death.”

20:13Martin Ford

Recommended for approval

Council officers have advised councillors to grant permission

20:12Martin Ford

Brewery Road next

The applicants want to pull down a vacant building and build 22 homes and shops or business permises

20:11KEY EVENT

White House plans rejected

Councillors voted to withhold planning permission

20:10Martin Ford

"Ugly and high"

Is how Cllr Mike Iszatt characterised the plans. “This is a totally inappropriate development,” he said.

20:09Martin Ford

"Incredibly disappointed"

Is how Cllr Linda Russell summed it up. She added: “We had an opportunity to do something special. We have a huge block of flats that don’t fit with the landscape at all. I’m shocked they think this sort of block is acceptable.”

20:07Martin Ford

"Surprised" at low number of objections

An advisor to the applicants, Sam Dicks told the committee: “I don’t believe there is anything incongruous or alien in appearance there. I’m surprised there are so few objections on a major application like this. We would expect a tenfold number of objections that you have received.”

19:52Martin Ford

Recommended for refusal

Officers have suggested councillors refuse planning permission as it is “out of scale” and would have an impact on neighbouring properties

19:47Martin Ford

Next up...

The White House demolition and construction of 63 homes

19:44KEY EVENT

Planning permission is refused

The council has voted to refuse planning permission for the homeless hostel, to the cheers of people in the public gallery

19:43Martin Ford

"Out of the frying pan"

Cllr Mike Iszatt agreed it was too small for eight people. “We certainly don’t want people moving out of the frying pan an into the fire.” He added: “This type of development is better suited to a town centre location with easy access to shops and transport links.”

19:38Martin Ford

"Eight is too many"

Cllr Wortley said. He proposed to vote against the application on the basis the house could be converted to accommodate six people without needing planning permission

19:37Martin Ford

"Emotive"

Cllr Steve Wortley said: “It’s clearly an emotive application from the amount of correspondence we have received.”

19:36Martin Ford

Family life

Cllr Martin Greensmyth said it would not be “conducive to harmonious family life”

19:34Martin Ford

One complaint

The council has received one complaint about the 10 existing hostels in the borough in the past year

19:29Martin Ford

Time limit

Residents can stay for a maximum of six months under the planning conditions suggested

19:28Martin Ford

He added that they council selects who stays in each hostel and a team visits the 10 existing hostels on a daily basis. People can be “summarily evicted” without notice if any problems occur.